


Star Crossed

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: In the only goth bar in Jorvik, two souls on the opposing sides of a war meet. Sparks fly, but can love overcome destiny? Shadow belongs to Shadowlord13.





	Star Crossed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowlord13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowlord13/gifts).



It was mask night at the only goth bar in Jorvik. Considering the local goth population in Jarlaheim, it was really no wonder that the bar was tucked away in an alley near the rock shop. After navigating her way through the smoggy back alley, Esmeralda Shadowlord, or Shadow to her friends, ensured that her black bandit mask, purchased from the costume shop near the theatre, was on properly before she pushed open the door of the bar and stepped inside.

The atmosphere inside was significantly different to that outside. Not only was it cleaner, and the air clearer, but it was also much more sophisticated in here. Shadow smiled as she looked around the place, admiring the red, black, and white interior decoration. Everything looked perfectly gothic, including the arches, and it felt very much like Shadow had just stepped through into a different world. Of course, she’d never let slip to her friends that she came here, they’d surely ridicule her for being a ‘pathetic, whiny emo’. They just had no idea how much Shadow enjoyed the goth subculture.

Shadow made her way to the bar, spying a few other patrons in the bar who were also dressed in dark clothing. There were many capes, and more than a few bandit masks like her own. But a man with a shiny red mask caught Shadow’s eye and quickened her heart as her breath caught in her throat. She only looked at him for a moment, though, before she took a seat at the other end of the bar. She didn’t want to come off as too eager.

Darko saw the strange girl sit, and he saw the appraising glance that she gave him. He smiled down at his drink, just a simple whisky on the rocks. As he swirled it, he listened to what the mystery girl ordered, and snuck glances at her from behind his mask. Like the other patrons here, the girl wore a long black coat, not one for warmth, but one purely for the ‘gothic’ look. It looked very good on her, though Darko had a moment where he wondered what she might look like dressed in some of the more… risqué gothic attire that some women wore. With a blush heating his cheeks, Darko turned his attentions back to his drink, though not before he noticed that the girl ordered a whisky on the rocks. He gave her one last lingering glance, and then knocked back the last of his whisky and moved closer to her.

“Make that two,” said the red-haired stranger, holding up two fingers as he took the barstool beside Shadow. Shadow’s heart leaped into action, pounding against her breast. His voice was so deep, and she instantly wanted to hear more of it. And, when he turned that winning smile towards her, Shadow had to remind herself how to breathe.

“Hi there,” said Shadow, untangling her tongue. Her cheeks heated. Well, at least she hadn’t said ‘howdy’. She already looked like a gothic cowgirl, thanks in large part to Jorvik lacking any decent clothing stores. All she’d managed to find was a black cowboy hat, a black coat, and black jeans to go with her black boots. And yet here was this perfectly gothic hunk of a man, resplendent in his long black and red coat that hung to the bottom of the barstool, the high collar of his coat, the buttons, the belts on his pants, the sharp spurs on his high-heeled boots… Her friends might say that a Hot Topic had exploded on this guy, but to Shadow, he was perfect. And he was talking to her. She really hoped that she wasn’t going to mess this up.

“I frequent this place quite often, so I know that I haven’t seen your face around here before,” said the handsome man. “I’d definitely recognise such a pretty face as yours.”

“I’ve seen many men, but you’re the most handsome one I’ve ever seen,” said Shadow, a sudden boldness gripping her. She was glad for the whisky to sip, the burning liquid giving her more courage. “I’m… Shadow.” Given the location, she was pretty sure that he wouldn’t laugh, but she still tensed anyway when he sipped at his drink.

“Darko,” said her handsome stranger, and Shadow felt her heart skip a beat.

“Shadow and Darko,” said Shadow, hoping that her heart wouldn’t steal her tongue while it was in her throat. “Sounds like the perfect pair, huh?”

“That it does,” said Darko. Though Shadow’s knees were shaking beneath the lip of the bar, she felt her confidence growing the longer she spent time with this man. “Shall we take this conversation to a private booth?” Shadow’s head was spinning, but she nodded anyway.

“Should I tell you about myself first or… I’m sorry, I’ve never done this before,” said Shadow once she was once more sitting. Her legs had wobbled quite a bit on the way over to the booths, both of them holding their glasses of whisky. She tucked a lock of her curly brown hair behind her ear, using that as an excuse to look away from Darko’s intense blue gaze. His eyes were like ice, the refreshing kind that Shadow found at the bottom of her glass.

“That’s perfectly alright,” said Darko. “I confess that this is the first time that I have ever felt like getting to know a woman better. Many throw themselves at me, but you didn’t.” Shadow grinned, a sight which made Darko smile in response, even though the grin did disappear rather quickly, as though she was trying to hide it.

“Then we’re in the same boat,” said Shadow, her heart still racing. “Are you from around here? That’s not too cliché, is it?” Her hands were sweating inside her black gloves.

“Well, I do live rather close to here, actually,” said Darko. “I live close to the ocean, but it’s easy to catch a ferry into Jarlaheim.”

“Oh, so you live in Golden Hills Valley?” asked Shadow. “It’s a nice place, very… orange.”

“Oh no, though that place is nice, I don’t live there,” said Darko, smiling gently. “I guess you could say that I live on a houseboat. Yes, that’s a good way of putting it.”

“That sounds interesting,” said Shadow. “You must have some pretty good hair products, to have your hair look so good. Mine turns into a frizzy mess around the ocean.”

“Yes, I do, thank you,” said Darko, smoothing his hand over his spiky red hair. It was almost like a mohawk, only not shaven. It looked very good on him, even if it did show a little too much of his forehead. Shadow suppressed the strong urge to smooth his hair down over his eyes and give him emo bangs.

“I actually had to use a ton of it just to come here,” said Shadow. She frowned. “Ugh, sorry, you don’t want to hear about my hair care routine.” She took a gulp of her whisky, then looked up at Darko. “I’m currently training horses and doing odd jobs around the island to prepare for a class at the Jorvik Equine Institute.”

“Wow, that sounds like a lot of work,” said Darko. “I train horses myself.”

“Oh?” said Shadow, perking up significantly now. Finally, she had something in common with this handsome stranger, with his high cheekbones and porcelain skin and red hair and blue eyes and honestly, she could list his good traits for days.

“Yes,” said Darko, nodding and smiling. He took a sip of his drink. “Sometimes, it’s a lot of work, and some days are harder than others, but the end results are almost always worth it. When you see a horse that everyone gave up on turn into a beautiful steed with more stamina and endurance than anyone ever thought possible, it makes all the early mornings and late nights worth it.”

“Especially when you win competitions with them,” said Shadow, nodding and grinning. “Or you take them to shows or just show them off. Pity there aren’t more western shows in Jorvik, though.”

“I did wonder if the clothing choice was intentional,” said Darko. “You make the gothic cowgirl look work.” He gave her a grin that sent butterflies swarming through Shadow’s stomach.

“Thank you,” said Shadow. “I don’t look anywhere near as good as you, though.”

“Hey, if I wanted to look at myself all the time, I’d line my house with mirrors,” said Darko, smiling over his drink. “Unfortunately, my boss won’t let me.”

“Your boss?” asked Shadow.

“Yes, I work for someone who has a great interest in training race horses,” said Darko. He was glad, now, that he’d come up with a story to tell to people so that he didn’t tell them what he really was, what he really did, who his boss really was.

“Gee, that must pay well,” said Shadow. “I just train my own horses, but the races and championships around here don’t exactly reward much prize money. I have to do jobs just to get by, like mucking out stables and hauling hay.” It took a great deal of self-restraint for Darko to not immediately ask Shadow if all of that hard work had paid off. That was not appropriate first date material, not when Shadow was clearly too shy to go there just yet.

“Well, every bit of experience in the field helps,” said Darko.

“Maybe if your boss ever needs a hand with training horses, I could help,” said Shadow. “Y’know, just throwing my hat in the ring.” She laughed weakly, tracing her finger through the water left on the table by the glass.

“I’ll be sure to recommend you, should the opportunity arise,” said Darko, giving her a smile. “But let’s not talk business. What do you like to do? Other than visit goth bars.”

“Sorry, I might be a bit boring,” said Shadow, looking up at him. “I like to hang out with friends, ride horses, and… watch TV. See, I told you, boring.” Darko bit back a laugh. Oh, if only she knew how nice it was to enjoy something so normal.

“I don’t have much time outside of work to partake in any hobbies,” said Darko. “Though I do also enjoy watching some TV every now and then. Most of my spare time is spent here, in this bar.”

“We’re two very hard-working individuals, then, I guess,” said Shadow with a laugh. “Have you lived here in Jorvik for very long? Or on Jorvik’s seas, rather.”

“All my life,” said Darko. “Perhaps I could show you some of the sights sometime.”

“That would be lovely,” said Shadow. “Thank you.”

“It will be my pleasure,” said Darko. “Why don’t I give you my number, and then we can schedule another date?”

“Yes,” said Shadow, smiling. To her relief, she didn’t fumble her phone as she got it out of her coat pocket, despite her hammering heart, shaking hands, and dry mouth. She unlocked her phone, opened the contacts, and slid it across the table to Darko, taking his phone so that she could tap the number in. Her heart was in her mouth as she took her phone back, seeing Darko’s name and number in her contacts list.

“But the night is still young,” said Darko. “Let’s order another round and… chat a little.” Shadow smiled at him and nodded, feeling lighter than air.

It was on still-light feet that Shadow finally exited the bar in the wee hours of the morning, when she was more than a little tipsy but also very tired. They’d spent most of the night talking, and drinking whisky (which progressively got weaker and weaker, not that either of them noticed too much) to slake the thirst from the talking. Fortunately, Wolfdancer was a trusty steed, more than willing to carry her home safely. From the shadows, Darko watched her go, though his mind was in conflict with his heart. Shadow was a beautiful woman, yes, but… the feeling in his gut did not lie. She was bad for him, too light, a light that would sear away his darkness. He should stay away.

His heart, however, ensured that Shadow’s number stayed in his phone, and urged him to follow her from the shadows until she’d made her way safely into the Jarlaheim inn.


End file.
